Feedback thread

[Maniac]

Actually all 6 possible factions w/o invitations are member at the point of the following save - hit end turn and you will be prompted to choose a resolution, but no invite proposal shows up.

I fixed something and now the motions appear for everyone but the Pirates. I'll have to investigate further why it doesn't work for Svensgaard.

I noticed that the Flowering Counter isn't too dynamic...

My goal is to have on average 40% of the AIs in a game to have a positive Flowering Counter. Not sure what more I can do to achieve this though. When there are more Planet-friendly factions, more factions will vote on the condordat motion to increase the flowering counter, the exact effect should also be changed then so that the Flowering Counter will go up if anti-Planet factions don't go to war to stop the Concordat.


AnotherPacifist, could you please put those large screenshots between spoilers as they disrupt the thread width (or remove them as they have served their purpose)?

 

[Pfeffersack]

My goal is to have on average 40% of the AIs in a game to have a positive Flowering Counter. Not sure what more I can do to achieve this though.

We aren't too far away from 40% Hybrids (I assume you mean positive PA, not FC, because that is the same for everyone) - out of 11 factions in my current game, there are 3 Hybrids with more than +1, 2 factions between 0 and +1 (including me), 2 between 0 and -1 and 4 true Terraformers (worse then -1)

When there are more Planet-friendly factions, more factions will vote on the condordat motion to increase the flowering counter, the exact effect should also be changed then so that the Flowering Counter will go up if anti-Planet factions don't go to war to stop the Concordat.

The problem with this motion is that it comes quite late and that the effect is rather weak. Whenever I'm part of the concordate and this motion comes up, the effect seems to be around +1 (hard to jugde as it seems to take place technically before the vote result is published - I never had an increase after the result was displayed!)

What makes the FC so static is that after the initial grow every 10-20 turns it stops usually around the point it reaches 30. Somehow then the natural areas were fungus can spread are used up and the counter stays there forever (or declines again, if the Terraformers get the upperhand). The gap to 40 - were it can access a new terrain type - is almost never passed, even when the first factions can build Hybrid Forests (BTW, Hybrid Civic is again underused among the AIs, Biodomes rules). This seems to have gotten worse with the addittion of the new factions (which is no wonder, given that standard maps are now quite crowded). I'm tempted to try a game on a large map just to see if it makes a difference...

 

[PPQ_Purple]

There is. Unfortunately it doesn't work for me. It works for other people though. The attached converter can convert from wve to avi. Then Bink and Smacker RAD Video Tools can be used to convert from avi to bik.

I know this is perhaps the most delayed post answer you will ever see but I know how to make this work. You have to click open and than copy the name of the movie into the File Name text box.

Don't care about the fact that the format is not reckognised just hit open and it works.

 

[Tancredii]

Great Work guys.

I tried this out 4 the first time last night! I had to go buy a copy of Civ4, cause i really wanted a new smac game to come out!!!

I haven't played for very long yet, but i like what i see. Shame there's no unit workshop capability within the civ4 engine though

Just an idea, have you guys ever contacted Rob (R8XFT) or one of the other graphic artists that does really nice leader heads?

it would be great if someone could up date the old smac leader heads into the new 3d mobile graphics...it would just give planetfall that finished look.

anyway, just an idea.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Its not a good idea. The leaders are cartoonish and I for one would hate it.
Please don't. I know I am not alone.

 

[GeoModder]

I have an issue to report.

Expansion era game start, and I choose the Drones. Several turns in the game, and a unit of mine spots a Pirate foil. Weirdly, no contact is established. For further info I can only tell that I didn't own the tech which enables the Pirates to start in an Arrival era game start. It's a small map. I can't verify if the pirates spawned because some other faction researched their spawning tech, but I suspect it is so because the Pirates have only one base when I opened the world builder a few turns after. I could establish contact after I placed a probe next to the pirate HQ, but I also had traded the Pirates' spawning tech at that point.

Edit: I forgot to mention this is a patch e save.

 

[Maniac]

I know this is perhaps the most delayed post answer you will ever see but I know how to make this work. You have to click open and than copy the name of the movie into the File Name text box.

Don't care about the fact that the format is not reckognised just hit open and it works.

I know this. My problem is that the avi which that program creates crashes Windows Explorer or Bink & Smacker or whatever program I use if I simply hover my mouse over the file name.

I have an issue to report.

Save downloaded.

 

[Maniac]

Perhaps units need to see each other for contact to be made? In your case you see the foil, but the foil probably can't see you I think. If I for instance place a foil with the worldbuilder and then move within the Pirate foil's visibility range, then contact does get established.

This issue probably can never occur in vanilla BtS because you can't walk on peaks.

 

[Pickly]

I'd suggest having the sea materials pods (I don't remember exactly what they are called) have the same teleport ability that terraformers do. I was just in a game recently where I had 2 sea material pods, but as my capital city was landlocked, i wasn't able to do much with them. (It's not really a big balance thing, but having 1-2 material pods and not being able ot use them for actual wonders is a bit annoying. )

 

[GeoModder]

Perhaps units need to see each other for contact to be made? In your case you see the foil, but the foil probably can't see you I think. If I for instance place a foil with the worldbuilder and then move within the Pirate foil's visibility range, then contact does get established.

Thanks.

 

[Tancredii]

Its not a good idea. The leaders are cartoonish and I for one would hate it.
Please don't. I know I am not alone.

I can understand your concerns for cartoonishness, but the SMAC leader heads look dated next to the cartoonish graphics of the rest of the game.

All i am saying is that maybe one of the quality head makers, who do really nice ones that look a true part in Civ4 could do heads of the SMAC crew to fit the game.

Essentially they'd be the same leaders, but with a little more life about them.

I think this would make for a great addition, providing it was done correctly.

Obviously though there is divided opinion on this matter, which means odds are i'm wasting my breath. Oh, well, maybe it's time to start campaigning Sid for SMAC2010 again!!!

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Look at any really good conversion mod (FFH for example).
They don't use leaderheads because animated idiotic children are unrequired.

If the smac leaders started acting like their civ counterparts slaping me and shouting and being all insane I would newer play the mod again.

 

[Panopticon]

Look at any really good conversion mod (FFH for example).
They don't use leaderheads because animated idiotic children are unrequired.

They don't use leaderheads because
- they have about 20-30 leaders, so pictures save memory in an otherwise bloated mod
- their art style is young adult gothic fantasy, for people who think they are serious and like serious things unlike their younger siblings (though such an aesthetic is itself a developmental reaction that we lose at a later stage in life)

Seriously, look at the leaderheads that they make in C&C and you'll see they're good. SMAC leaders were pretty "cartoonish" themselves.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Seriously, look at the leaderheads that they make in C&C and you'll see they're good. SMAC leaders were pretty "cartoonish" themselves.

Don't ever dare to say that.
SMAC was 100% beter than CIV becouse it is themed at the Adult SF population who think they are serious and like serious things. Its the exact opposite of standard CIV.

You have just entered my hate list.

 

[Pfeffersack]

@ LH graphics

I think the original ones from SMAC are just fine. They contribute a lot to the atmosphere - everytime I see them, many memories from playing the original game come back. Making animated LHs which conserve that effect is probably beyond what is feasible for modding. I would rather like to see the placeholder graphics for some units go away...

-----

The following issue is not unlikely related to continuing a savegame started under patch c) with the new patch e)...but I'm posting just in case this is not the reason...

The problem is that I'm suddenly no longer able to construct buildings in my bases, if I load the attached save and end then the turn twice (what you do until that happens does not seem to play a role - just click away any pop-up). What makes me think that it's related to continuing an unsupported save is that after upgrading to e) some buildings seem to have switched places (e.g. I suddenly had the cloud collector building in many bases, but the command centers I had built nearly everywhere had vanished)

 

[Panopticon]

Don't ever dare to say that.
SMAC was 100% beter than CIV becouse it is themed at the Adult SF population who think they are serious and like serious things. Its the exact opposite of standard CIV.

You have just entered my hate list.

You are seriously saying that this is not cartoonish:

Whatever.

 

[PPQ_Purple]

I don't know what this guy said since he is in my ignore list and I don't care.
Pfeffersack nailed it spot on. The images are what truly links this mod to SMAC.

Also, I don't know if this is a bug but I am playing a game with version 13/no patch.

When I construct a transport I can't assign the special ability to it, even thou I have both the required tech and a free spot and the required tech for said promotion.

Is this a bug or am I missing some feature?


That and why did you name that thing a siege tank? If its a mobile bombardment vehicle than why not call it Assault gun?
Thats what it is.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Also, I don't know if this is a bug but I am playing a game with version 13/no patch.

When I construct a transport I can't assign the special ability to it, even thou I have both the required tech and a free spot and the required tech for said promotion.

What special ability does not appear? Or is the problem that you cannot assign any special ability to it?

 

[PPQ_Purple]

Dam! I forgot to name the spec ability in question.
It's Rail Launchers. Thats the only one I have problems with.

 

[GeoModder]

SMAC was 100% beter than CIV becouse it is themed at the Adult SF population who think they are serious and like serious things. Its the exact opposite of standard CIV.

Continue to post like this and people contributing tangible work to this mod might consider putting you on their ignore list.